


Sun and Moon

by Waldo



Category: NCIS
Genre: Episode Related, Episode: s5e10 Corporal Punishment, Hurt/Comfort, Missing Scene, Multi, POV Outsider, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-05-04
Updated: 2009-05-04
Packaged: 2017-10-04 02:46:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Waldo/pseuds/Waldo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What the autopsy gremlin saw while lurking around the parking garage.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sun and Moon

**Author's Note:**

> "Sun and Moon" is from the musical _Miss Saigon_. This story takes place during the episode "Corporal Punishment" after the scene where Corporal Worth makes hamburger out of Gibbs' team. Written for the NCIS_LFWS promt: write **songfic** from **Jimmy Palmer's perspective** that takes place in **season 5**.

Jimmy had found himself quite attached to his iPod lately.  And if he had a few more love songs on it than might have appeared 'manly' enough for the likes of DiNozzo or Gibbs, who was to know?  Besides, he was pretty sure nothing he ever did would be looked upon well by Agent Gibbs.

He wondered what Gibbs would think if he knew why Jimmy was lurking around the parking garage at a quarter to twelve on a Tuesday.  He reached into his pocket and fingered the room keycard he'd picked up that morning.  Gibbs and DiNozzo might get to interview all the attractive, leggy blondes their cases seemed to revolve around, but he highly doubted anyone from that team would be sneaking out for a nooner.  He checked his watch. Michelle would be checking her email about now.  She should be in the garage shortly.  Jimmy leaned back against the pillar where he'd be hard to see, but he could keep an eye on anyone coming off the elevator.

He popped one earbud in his ear and hit 'shuffle'.

_You are sunlight and I moon,  
Joined by the gods of fortune  
Midnight and high noon  
Sharing the sky, we have been blessed you and I._

He'd made the mistake of telling Dr. Mallard that he was taking "someone" to see _Miss Saigon_ when it had come through earlier that month.  It had turned into a half-hour long lecture on why he should get the soundtrack and study it before he went to the play.  So he'd promised,  and he'd come in a few days later and shown Dr. Mallard that he had it uploaded to his iPod.  He'd never admit that he really liked it.

"Sun and Moon" reminded him of his relationship with Michelle.  Though she was closer to Chris – the soldier in the play.  Michelle was a special agent.  She carried a badge and, for a while - when Gibbs had been away and she'd been put on Tony's team - she'd even carried a gun.

He reluctantly admitted that that made him Kim, the civilian girlfriend, but he was okay with that as long as he wasn't ever required to kill himself with Michelle's gun.

_You are here like a mystery  
I'm from a world that's so different from all that you are.  
How in the light of one night, did we come so far?_

A car pulled into the garage and Jimmy moved around the support pillar a little further to remain undetected.  The absolutely insane way the car screeched around the corner meant it had to be Gibbs.  Jimmy watched covertly as the blue sedan pulled up the first spot after the designated handicapped spots and did a three point turn to back in.

As expected, Gibbs popped out of the driver's side door almost before the car came to a halt.  He opened the door behind him and McGee climbed out more slowly.  "Go up and tell Ziva we're back and that I want Worth moved to interrogation.  I'll get DiNozzo upstairs."

McGee nodded and Jimmy could see him stoop down to peer across to the passenger's seat.  With the car parked in backwards, Jimmy could see Tony sitting in the seat, clearly either unaware that they'd arrived, or not interested.  He kept waving the fingers of one hand in his face as he scrunched up his eyebrows and peered at the fingers like he had no idea how they'd come to be at the end of his hand.

McGee headed for the elevator and Jimmy carefully moved to stand with his back flush against the pole in a place he was unlikely to be noticed by either McGee or Gibbs. 

He jumped a little as car door was slammed and then another was opened.  He watched as Gibbs leaned in, apparently undoing Tony's seatbelt before helping him turn in his seat and then stand.  Palmer hit the pause on his iPod, leaving the earpiece in so that if he did get caught, he'd be able to claim he hadn't heard a thing, since his music was on.  He wondered if this was how the big-time undercover agents did it.  Pretend to be listening to an iPod or cell phone so no one realized you were really listening in on them.

"Are you sure you're ready to come back to work?" Gibbs asked as Tony swayed, still focused on his wiggling fingers.  When he didn't answer, Gibbs gently covered the fascinating fingers with his own, holding Tony's hand between their chests.  "Hey! DiNozzo."  Gibbs waited while Tony slowly pulled his eyes from their hands up to Gibbs' face.  "We both know what Vicodin does to you.  I should just put you back in the car and take you home."

Tony gave Gibbs a wavering smile.  "I'm not that bad," Tony argued and tried to prove his point by taking a step forward, but succeeded only in staggering into Gibbs, bumping his taped nose on Gibbs shoulder. "Oh… fuck… ow…"

Gibbs choked back a laugh.  "How about if I take you back to my place.  You can sleep until I get home.  I'll bring pizza."  He was still holding Tony's hand in one of his.  The other came up to gently rub Tony's cheek, careful to not come near the nasty looking bruising and swelling under the white tape.

Tony visibly pulled himself together, "I can make it.  The worst of the loopyness will wear off soon.  Always does, Boss."

Jimmy could hear his own breathing.  He was damn sure he wasn't supposed to have seen or heard any of that.  Gibbs and Tony?  He never would have guessed.  He knew that Tony had the longest tenure of any agent ever on Gibbs team, but he'd never guessed that it was more than just because he was good at the job.

Palmer screwed up his face.  Actually he had a hard time believing Gibbs would do_ that_.  That he'd keep Tony just because they were sleeping together.  And, yeah, he knew he was reading in to what he'd seen, but… 

He dug his nails into his palm, trying to contain himself.  Gibbs had said he would take Tony back to his place and bring him dinner in bed.  He couldn't image him saying something like that to McGee.  Of course, he countered himself, if he'd been asked that morning, he wouldn't have been able to see him saying something like that to Tony.  He clenched both fists, wondering if he should make a dash for the elevators or hide until Gibbs managed to get Tony to stagger into it.  The hand gripping his iPod slipped and it started playing again.

_The birds awake  
    The stars shine too  
My hands still shake  
    I reach for you  
And we meet in the sky!_

That was it.  It was the music.  It was that he was waiting for a clandestine lunchtime rendezvous. He was just reading into everything because_ he_ was horny.  That had to be why it looked an awful lot like Agent Gibbs and Tony were some kind of relationship that had nothing to do with work.

Palmer scooted around the post as Tony and Gibbs came past on their way to the elevator, Tony half-draped around Gibbs.  With the iPod only in one ear, he could still hear them talking.  "It's a damn good thing we left your car at my place this morning," Gibbs was saying as they went, "because you won't be fit to drive for a while."

Tony spun awkwardly to get in Gibbs' space again.  "I suspet… spet… sussed-pect… I _think_ I'd still be a better driver than you, when you aren't on drugs."

Gibbs reached forward and hit the elevator button.  "You're going to autopsy.  Lay down for a few minutes until the worst of the side effects wear off.  Ducky can keep an eye on you for me while I go talk to Worth."

"The autopsy gremlin will never let me live it down.  I can go upstairs."

Jimmy huffed.  He wished he could decide if being the 'autopsy gremlin' was a term of affection or an insult.  Dr. Mallard had once told him to take it amicably.  He said Tony didn't bother to tease people he didn't actually like.  Before he could decide, he heard them talking again.

"Abby's lab?  You can lay on her farting hippo thing?" Gibbs negotiated.

And that was when the idea that Gibbs and DiNozzo were truly some kind of couple firmly cemented itself in Palmer's mind.  With anyone else, at any other time, if Gibbs said you were going to autopsy to lie down, it was an order.  Not a discussion. 

The elevator pinged open and Jimmy watched as they got in.  Tony was nodding and Jimmy heard half of a capitulation.  Something about 'just until the dizziness wore off.'

He let out a huge sigh as the door closed.  He wondered if he really had seen all of that unnoticed or if he'd find Gibbs in his face before the end of the day telling him that there'd be serious repercussions if he ever let on what he knew.  Not that he could blame them.  After all he'd been carrying on a clandestine relationship of his own. 

He kind of liked the idea that he shared a secret with the two toughest agents in NCIS.

The elevator pinged again and Jimmy jumped, completely revealing his location.  He gave Lee a sheepish grin.  "Took you long enough," he tried to cover.

"And yet, you look like you weren't expecting me," Michelle said as she slipped her arm into his.

Jimmy knew their lunch window was limited and if he wanted to get done what he'd spent the last two days planning, they really should get a move on.  But as they started for his car, he deliberately slowed his pace.  "You ever know anyone with a really big secret?"

If he hadn't been looking as he asked, he might have missed the shadow that passed over Michelle's face.  "Sure," she answered simply.

"I just found out a doozy," Palmer said, unable to keep things entirely to himself.

"Well, if it's a secret he or she –"

"They," Palmer corrected.

"They," Lee repeated, "probably have a good reason for wanting to keep their secret a secret."

Jimmy shrugged.  "I suppose.  I was just… really surprised is all."

"Well," Michelle said as Jimmy opened the passenger's side door for her, "I guess they must really trust you if they told you.  You should feel honored.  And respect that they have their reasons."

Jimmy got in and started the engine.  Everything he knew about Michelle Lee was telling him to drop this before he paid almost two hundred dollars to rent a nice room for nothing more than an argument or an hour of cold-shouldering.  "They didn't exactly tell me.  I sort of was in the right place – wrong place – right – wrong place at the… right time."

"Then you definitely shouldn't be telling tales out of school, Jimmy.  Now, are you going to tell me which hotel you have set up for us?"  Michelle's hand crept across his thigh, suddenly derailing any further thoughts of what relationships other people might or might not be having.

Jimmy hooked up his iPod to the car stereo.

_You are sunlight and I moon  
Joined here  
Bright'ning the sky with the flame of love_

Made of sunlight…  
Moonlight

Oh yeah, this was going to be a good lunch.  He'd have to remember to actually pick up food on the way back.


End file.
